Galveston City Council this afternoon will consider an amendment to the city’s existing interlocal agreement with Gulf Coast Center for the provision of a park and ride transit service to the University of Texas Medical Branch/Victory Lakes Park & Ride facility that is under construction in League City.

The issue was discussed in workshop this morning, with Council Member Elizabeth Beeton continuing to object that the service will benefit people in north Galveston County more than those who live on Galveston Island. Listen: MP3RealPlayer

Beeton noted that the Mall of the Mainland to Galveston bus route provides 75 percent of its service to persons who live on the Mainland and work on the island and only 25 percent of its service to those who live on the island and commute to Texas City; and was concerned that the same will be true of the Victory Lakes system.

Several employees of the University of Texas Medical Branch attended the workshop meeting in support of the P&R service and there will be more who address the city council at this afternoon’s formal session. Council Member Dianna Puccetti, a former UTMB employee, stressed that the service will also benefit patients at UTMB.

“Call and get an appointment and see where they send you for specialty services,” she said. “It’s going to be Victory Lakes.”

The city council this afternoon also will consider a letter of intent and terms of agreement between the city and the Port of Galveston for the development of the Downtown Intermodal Transportation Terminal on the northeast corner of 25th Street and The Strand; as well as an action to waive an escrow agreement and allow the port to apply $1 million of its bid amount for the Shearn Moody Plaza Parking Garage toward the cost of bringing the garage into compliance with city code. Listen: MP3RealPlayer

“The city will oversee that,” explained Interim City Manager Tom Muehlenbeck at this morning’s workshop. “But they (the port) will be duly responsible for bringing it up to code themselves. They will maintain that million dollars. If it costs more than a million dollars, that will be on their dime.”